beown



(-No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet L G. T. BROWN.

COUNTER FOR PRINTING PRESSES, &c.

Patented July 28, 1885.

2 SheetsSheet 2.

(No Model.)

0. TpBROWN.

COUNTER FOR PRINTING PRESSES, 630.

No. 323,332. Patented July 23, 1335.

Parent FFICEQ CHARLES T. BROWVN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR,BY'MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO FLORA L. BROIVN, 0F SAME PLACE.

COUNTER. FOR. PPtlNTING-PRESSES, 81,0.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 323,382, dated July 28,1885.

Application filed April 20, 1882.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES '1. BROWN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Counters forPrinting-Presses and other Purposes, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements incounters or registering-maehines,in which the number or count made by the machine is exposed to viewthrough slots or holes as the same is added or recorded by the counter,and in which the numbers are brought in front of the said slot or holesby the intermittent action of a lever or other connecting device; andthe objects of my improvements are to construct a counter which shall beeconomical, of positive and direct action, and to which motion can onlybe imparted through the unitwheel by the connecting-lever, all the otherparts or wheels whereon the numbers are placed being automaticallylocked by the counter after the same have been placed in their properposition by the wheel of the next lower denomination, and also toconstructa machine that may be easily and quickly set or placed at zerowhen a new count is to be made by the same.

In order to obtain a counter which shall be of value or utility, it isnecessary that the same shall be constructed upon principles which willallow of a certain amount of variation in the form of the materialsused, to allow for the ordinary wear and friction arising from the useof the same, and also it must be positive in its motions and certain inits movements, not liable to get out of repair, and not easy to betampered with by the person using the same, who may be and frequently isa person entirely unskilled in mechanics, and often one whose object itis to cause the counter to skip or jump, thereby recording more or ahigher count than it should properly give.

I am aware that counters have been in use for the purpose for which thiscounter is applied, and so constructed that motion is transmitted fromthe wheel of a lower denomination to the wheel of the next higherdenomination; but, so far as I am aware, the objects (N0 model.)

sought have been attained in a manner different from that here shown.

I have illustrated my invention by the draw iugs accompanying thisspecification, and which form a part thereof, and in which Figure l isan end view of the shell or case containing the mechanism whereby thenumbers are made to appear in their proper order before the slot or holeX in the same. Fig. 2 is a front view of the same, showing the slot Xthrough which the numbers are to be seen, the numbers 5 6 0 l 2 4: beingshown as added or registered by the counter. Fig. 3 is an end view ofthe shell or case with the end of the case removed,showing the workingparts of the counter and their method of operation, as will behereinafter described. Fig. 4 is a back view of the counter in the shellor case, showing the lever by which motion is transmitted to thecounter. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of my machine, showing the workingparts thereof and their method of connection. Fig.6 is a plan of any oneof the rings upon which the numbers are placed with one of the wheels towhich the same is secured or attached or cast. Fig. 7 is a plan of thesame ring with the other wheel, to which it is secured or attached orcast. Fig. 8 is a plan of the wheel secured to the ring in Fig. 6, saidwheel being placed in Fig. 6 underneath the said ring.

Like letters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

The case, composed of two parts, A A,with lugs a a, constitutes theframe work of the machine.

B B are the centers, upon which the mechanism or movable parts of thecounter are placed.

Z2 b b I) are the hinges, upon which part A of the shell or case israised, when required, from part A of the shell or case.

C C, Figs. 2 and 3, is the lever, turning upon center B, and the dog, bymeans of which motion is transmitted to the counter.

5 6 0 l 2 4 are the numbers, here arranged upon periphery of thecounting-wheel, as seen through slot- X.

c is a spring, which may be of any desired form, for holding lever C inits proper position when the same is at rest.

IOO

D is the ratchet-wheel, receiving motion from dog 0.

E is the ring, upon the periphery of which I prefer, and in this form ofconstruction am required, to place the figures 5, 6, 9, &c., shownthrough slot X.

F is a wheel, with a single tooth,f, thereon. Vheel 1), ring E, andwheel F are secured together, forming one wheel, which may be called theunit-wheel, turning loosely on shaft B.

G is a wheel, with gears or teeth placed thereon. Vheel G, ring E, andwheel F are secured together, forming one wheel,( the tenswheel,)turning loosely on shaft B. The unitwheel and the tens-wheel may each beformed of one piece, cast in iron, brass, or other suitable material,and I. shall hereinafter so speak of them.

F is a gear-wheel, turning loosely on shaft B, meshing with wheel G- andtooth f on wheel F. The ends of the teeth on wheel F also come incontact, or nearly so, with the periphery of wheel F when tooth f is notso meshed with teeth of wheel F. WVheel F acts as a transmitter and alsoas a lock, receiving motion from toothf when the same meshes thereon,and being firmly locked in its position when the smooth part of theperiphery of wheel F is in contact with the ends of the teeth thereof,as above described. Any additional wheels (counting-wheels) areduplicates ot' the tens-wheel, and are acted upon and act in preciselythe same manner as the tens-wheel.

Having thus described the construction of my machine, in order to enablethose skilled in the art to fully understand its operation, I state thesame to be as follows:

The upper half, A, of the case is raised on the hinge b I) from thelower half, A, of the case, thus releasing the unit and tens wheels fromcontact or meshing with the transmitters F, and allowing all the seriesof wheels to be turned freely upon center B. The series of wheels arethen turned upon center B, and arranged in such manner as that thefigure 0 (zero) shall be shown through the slot or holes X in the saidcase. The case is then closed,

and locked, if desired.

Lever O and deg C are depressed by pressure applied at point 3 causingthe unit-wheel to revolve on shaft 13, exposing the number 1 on saidwheel through slot X. On releasing this pressure the lever and dogassume their original position. This operation is repeated until figure9 on the unit-wheel is exposed through slot X. Wheel F has so far beensocurely locked by the contact of its teeth or gear with the peripheryof wheel F. The next movement of the unit-wheel, asdescribed, exposesthe figure 0 (zero) through slot X. At the same time t )othfmeshes withwheel F, causing it to turn on shaft 13, wheel Gr, meshing with wheel F,being thus turned on shaft B, exposing the figure 1 on the tens- Wheelthrough slot X. This operation is re peated until the desired count isreached. In the machine constructed by me 999,999 can be counted in thismanner before it repeats itself.

I have filed an application (Serial No. 1:19,- 753, tiled December 8,188st) for an improvementupon the counter herein shown, described, andclaimed, which said application describes, but does not claim, thesubject-matter of this application. It is not my intention to include inthe present application the improvements disclosed and claimed in theapplication filed December 8, 188-1, before referred to.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, 1s

A counter for printing-presses and other purposes comprising thefollowing elements, viz A counter, composed ofa shell or case dividedinto two parts, connected together by means of a hinge, a series ofcounting-wheels placed loosely on a shaft in one of said parts, a seriesof transmitters or gear-wheels placed loosely on ashaft in the other ofsaid parts, the ends of the teeth of the said transmitters, inconnection with and in addition to the transmission of motion, servingas a loclt to hold all wheels of a denomination higher than units intheir proper place and position, and all arranged so that when the shellor case is opened the counting-wheels may be revolved loosely upon theshaft, and when the same is closed the counting-wheels shall mesh and100 come in contact with the transmitters, substantially as described.

CHARLES T. BRO\VN. YVitnesscs W. G. Fosrnn, F. L. BROWN.

